Board logo

carbon kevlar diff covers
blakep82 - 30/10/09 at 06:14 PM

how hard would it be to make a carbon/kevlar atlas diff cover? i've got a new pressed steel one.

could you easily make one straight from the steel one, or would you need to make a mould from the steel one to then make a carbon one?

if taken straight from the steel one, should it be done on the inside or outside?

clairetoo - 30/10/09 at 06:20 PM

I'd make a mold off the outside of the cover , then make a cover from the mold , and make it faily thick around the edge so as to stop distortion around the bolts .
Damn that would look cool

blakep82 - 30/10/09 at 06:22 PM

was thinking they'd look cool myself
seeing as my axle can just about be seen on my car.

any tips on the best material for making a mold?
fibreglass? expanding foam and filler?
if i do it, i might make a few

also trying to work out some bonnet pin covers. probably just fibreglass

omega0684 - 30/10/09 at 06:24 PM

claire do you fancy trying it out on my lsd cover the diff will be out tomorrow lol

clairetoo - 30/10/09 at 06:39 PM

I'll have a go - but tomorrow I will getting mucky underneath an Alfa that just failed it's MOT

clairetoo - 30/10/09 at 06:42 PM

quote:
Originally posted by blakep82
was thinking they'd look cool myself
seeing as my axle can just about be seen on my car.

any tips on the best material for making a mold?
fibreglass? expanding foam and filler?
if i do it, i might make a few

also trying to work out some bonnet pin covers. probably just fibreglass

Make the mold from fibreglass so you can get a good polish on it , the only tricky bit is getting a good finish on the edge of the carbon/kevlar (it wont sand as the kevlar just goes fluffy )

blakep82 - 30/10/09 at 07:04 PM

ooh, i know it goes fluffy my bodywork is made of kevlar repairs are a nightmare

thinking thin cutting disc in the grinder will be the best option. though not ideal.

cool. i was about to start drilling and welding a breather into my steel cover, but i'll hold off that for a little while.

what sort of thickness should i aim for?

blakep82 - 30/10/09 at 07:29 PM

would probably benefit from some of these so it doesn't crack under the bolts too

Liam - 30/10/09 at 08:42 PM

You could try and make sides to the mold and lay the carbon up around the sides rather than as just a flat slab to avoid the rough looking edges.